"It's a very emotional challenge" - Robert Lewandowski on Jurgen Klopp's decision to step down as Liverpool boss at the end of the season
Robert Lewandowski has addressed Jurgen Klopp's departure at the end of the season, saying it was a decision he could resonate with, based on the emotional challenges the Liverpool manager has faced during his time at Anfield.
Klopp announced his decision to step down as the manager after the end of the season and plans to take a year off to rest before returning to the bench.
"I totally understand him and I understand being a coach of such big clubs these days, like Barcelona, Liverpool, or any of these big clubs, it is a tough job and it is a very emotional challenge. It is not an easy job," Robert Lewandowski said while speaking with Meczyki (segment between 22:14 and 23:25 mark in the video below).
"Everyone is known to get emotional, and one day they say this, the next day they say something else and especially for the coach it is even harder, because he is responsible for the results, for how the team plays, or how it looks physically. I totally understand him. I know how much effort he puts in every day."
Jurgen Klopp moved to Liverpool in 2015 and, among other titles, he won the Premier League in 2020 and the UEFA Champions League in 2019. He has managed 476 matches at Liverpool so far, winning 298, drawing 97, and losing 81.
Robert Lewandowski calls Jurgen Klopp a 'father figure' for him
Robert Lewandowski has had a great relationship with Jurgen Klopp since their days together at Borussia Dortmund. Klopp brought Lewandowski to Dortmund back in 2010 with the star striker spending four years with the German club.
Lewandowski had nothing but high praise for Jurgen Klopp as a coach and person.
"Jurgen was not only a father figure to me. He is my favorite coach and after that it is Pep Guardiola. Klopp has two faces. He is like a father, but the second part is like a manager, like a coach," he recently said, via the Daily Mirror.
"He is a huge motivation. He makes this perfect, because he knows where the line is...His performance as a coach is amazing, not only as a coach, but as a man."
Robert Lewandowski played under Klopp between 2010 and 2014 and made 186 appearances across all competitions, scoring 102 goals and assisting 41 times while winning two Bundesliga titles and a DFB Cup.